Jul. 16—ATHENS — Plans are in the works for Swan Creek Park in Athens to be revitalized with new amenities, including pickleball courts and a Make-A-Way Field for special needs individuals.
“Recreation for the city of Athens has just continued to explode,” said Athens Communications and Grant Manager Holly Hollman. “In Limestone County, the city of Athens is providing the majority of recreational opportunities for the entire county. We continue to get more and more requests for recreational programs and facilities. I think COVID spurred people to get back outside, get more active. And it just continues to be popular and something that citizens want to see for the quality of life in their community.”
Swan Creek Park currently has a green space, two large pavilions, a practice field, a track, a playground and tennis/pickleball courts on 18.35 acres. People can also get on the Swan Creek Greenway at the park. Hollman said the city plans to upgrade the park in phases.
“We have a proposed master plan,” she said. “We’re looking at a Make-A-Way Field, and the Make-A-Way Foundation is working to raise money to support that effort. Also looking at pickleball courts: some covered, some uncovered. And then paving the walking track around the park. That would be the first phase.”
Hollman said future phases would include more.
“It would include the trail access that you have there from the park,” she said. “Improving the (pavilions); they’re pretty good, but they could use some renovations. Redoing the playground. So, that would be the future phases we would look at.”
At Monday’s Athens City Council meeting, the council approved hiring AMBL Studios, located in Athens, for architectural services for the park. The amount is not to exceed $215,155. The council also approved hiring Alta “for design development, construction documents, and construction administrative services” for the park. The amount is not to exceed $423,275.
The resolution said the park improvements are pending grant approval, but that the upgrades would be funded by the 2024 warrant, or bond.
“We applied to ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs). It’s called the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” Hollman said. “We applied for the max, which is $1 million. If we get it, we’ll have to match $1 million. We’re still waiting to hear back from that grant.”
Will Hargrove, design associate at Alta, said the Make-A-Way Field will be like a Miracle Field.
“It will be designed like a Miracle Field, but there’s a lot of regulations that go in the Miracle brand,” he said. “So, we won’t brand it that, but it will be equally as accessible and inclusive to those people.”
Hargrove said it will be for people of all ages with special needs, not just children.
“That is a big part of that inclusive park concept is that those kids will have a place to play ball, and on a surface where they can roll a wheelchair if they have mobility disabilities; they can easily get around on that field,” he said at Monday’s meeting. “We do have a scope of a playground that will come to Swan Creek Park. We also have scopes of stakeholder engagements where we plan to engage directly with that community to understand more about what their specific needs are.”
Hargrove said they value that this set of people has special needs.
“We want to meet with them to make sure we get those right,” he said.
—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.